ABSTRACT
Understanding speech in a background of competing noise is challenging, especially
for individuals with hearing loss or deficits in auditory processing ability. The
ability to hear in background noise cannot be predicted from the audiogram, an assessment
of peripheral hearing ability; therefore, it is important to consider the impact of
central and cognitive factors on speech-in-noise perception. Auditory processing in
complex environments is reflected in neural encoding of pitch, timing, and timbre,
the crucial elements of speech and music. Musical expertise in processing pitch, timing,
and timbre may transfer to enhancements in speech-in-noise perception due to shared
neural pathways for speech and music. Through cognitive-sensory interactions, musicians
develop skills enabling them to selectively listen to relevant signals embedded in
a network of melodies and harmonies, and this experience leads in turn to enhanced
ability to focus on one voice in a background of other voices. Here we review recent
work examining the biological mechanisms of speech and music perception and the potential
for musical experience to ameliorate speech-in-noise listening difficulties.
KEYWORDS
Brain stem - music - speech in noise - timing - pitch
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Nina KrausPh.D.
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